K.Mandla's blog of Linux experiences

Still a favorite

Edit: Unfortunately, the images originally included in this post are gone, because of hosting problems in late 2009. My apologies.

I don’t game as much as I used to, when I was a Windows user. That’s not a bad thing really, since I feel I’ve learned a lot more since then. Looking back, my time in Windows was spent primarily on amusement, peppered with random specks of pointless piracy. Not exactly mentally stimulating, in most cases.

But nowadays, when I do game, it comes in intense, short-lived bursts. About two days ago I installed Neverwinter Nights (I have a legitimate copy, in case you were wondering ;) ) in Gutsy, and was immediately sucked in again. I own the Platinum edition, and this is it, running on the Pavilion.

It’s an old game now — the shelf life for video games is remarkably short, as most people can attest. But it’s still one of the best computer role-playing games (which some people say is a misnomer) I’ve ever played, with very few exceptions. I love the depth, the emphasis on interaction, and the fidelity to the rule set. I know graphics and speed and plot development have improved in the years since this was first released, but I still find it intriguing and engrossing. The original campaign is fairly linear and some people find fault with that, but I enjoy it all the same.

Performance on the Pavilion is more or less base-level. It’s a powerful machine, that Pavilion, but to be honest, the graphic performance is not what I would want from a gaming machine. I got much better playability and graphic performance from my XPS M170, two years ago when I owned one. And to be honest, Neverwinter Nights will run on my 1Ghz machine … except it tends to overheat and shut down when I try it. :|

Anyway, the net result of this is that I’ve been somewhat remiss in the past few days, spending minimal amounts of time troubleshooting or tinkering, and finding myself absorbed again with a good, solid game. If you haven’t played it and you’re willing to invest (probably at a bargain price now) in a satisfying, professional game with a working Linux client, I highly recommend it. It’s worth the money.

8 thoughts on “Still a favorite”

It is a great game that will suck you in whether you’re in it for the role playing (i used to scoff at D’n’D nerds and now I can’t stop creating new characters…), for the endless possible combinations of traits and weapons and tactics or just for the story and the scenery. And you have to admire the fact that seldom has more attention been given to porting a game to linux by the publisher and with such excellent results. Now if I could only get those damned premium modules to work…